This website is focused on Milan Roadster Convertible conversions using 1976-1979 Seville four door sedans: 1. Milan Coach Builders conversions at their facility in Simi Valley, California. According to the builder of the Milans, Mr. Milan Daniel, only Simi Valley conversions are condsidered 'true Milans'.2. Sevilles converted by Milan Convertibles, Inc in New York and Auto Classic in Mexico using owner supplied Sevilles. 3. Sevilles converted by others using kits supplied by the Milan Convertible Co.

Milan Coach Builders, Inc Milans were built for Cadillac and specialty car dealers using new Sevilles and for owners who shipped their Sevilles to Califormia for conversion into Milans. The cost of these conversions was $15,000 and production at their Simi Valley production line began in 1976. The dealer cars all have "Milan" emblems on the front fenders, "Personalized by Milan Coach Builders" emblems on the door sills, and a fiberglass insert behind the seats. These cars have either the optional Milan installed fiberglass hood and stainless steel RR type grille or the standard Seville factory hood and grille. Included with the optional hood and grille was a glass insert on the door frame next to the outside mirrors; conversions without this hood had painted metal inserts. Owner provided Seville conversions have the "Milan" fender emblems and a fiberglass insert behind the front seats. These owner provided cars NEVER have the "Personalized by Milan Coachbuilders" door sill emblems; instead they all have the standard Fisher Body door sill emblems. As late as August, 1983, Milan offered to do these California conversions for $4,995 (some $10,000 less than their first 300 conversions) plus $75 for pinstriping and $300-$750 to repaint the car. It took about 4 to 6 weeks for them to complete the conversion.

Milan had NO affiliation with the Cadillac Division of General Motors. General Motors did NOT send Milan any Sevilles to convert. Cars were ordered from or provided by Cadillac dealers or provided by customers who already owned a 76-79 4-door Seville. Late 1979 Simi Valley conversions had 500 pounds of poured concrete placed under the fiberglass insert in a channel between the seats and rear wheel well (where the rear doors would have been) to improve weight distribution and handling. I found the concrete located there when I restored my 1979 Milan.

Milan Convertibles, Inc were conversions built for owners who sent their Sevilles to a New York facility set up by Milan so East Coast Seville owners did not have to ship their cars all the way to California. Conversions were also done in Mexico by Auto Classic. Both of these locations used kits, parts, and jigs provided by Milan, but Milan was not personally involved in the actual conversions. These cars never have the "Milan" fender emblems, but do have the fiberglass insert behind the front seats as well as the standard Cadillac "Fisher Body" emblems in the door sills and the standard GM factory Seville fender emblems. These cars may have owner installed aftermarket RR type grills with the standard Seville hood. These cars either had a Milan Convertibles, Inc plaque affixed to the left rear trunk or an Auto Classic plate on the driver side door jamb.

Milan Convertible Co sold a kit for $1495 so owners could convert their 76-79 Sevilles into Milans using local craftsmen. These cars never have the "Milan" fender emblems; instead they have the standard Seville emblems on the fenders and the standard GM "Fisher Body" emblems on the door sills. These kit cars may or may not have the optional fiberglass insert behind the front seats. The convertible conversion would always be considered a 'Milan Kit Conversion' if it has the fiberglass insert behind the seats. A conversion could be considered a 'Milan Kit Conversion' without the inserts if the owner had documentation that a Milan kit was used. Some kit Milans may also have an aftermarket grille with the standard factory Seville hood. Some owners have removed the Seville fender emblems when they repainted their cars.

Best guess is that Milan built 509 Roadster Convertibles at their facility in Simi Valley. Unknown is how many conversion kits were sold by the Milan Convertible Co after production ceased in Simi Valley or how many conversions were completed in New York and Mexico. All convertible conversions that I am aware of are listed on the 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 web pages, though some of the cars listed may have been converted without using any Milan supplied components. Unidentified conversions are listed on the bottom of this page.

Seville convertible conversions were also done without using a kit supplied by Milan Convertible Co. These cars would never have the fiberglass insert behind the back seat. See the 76-79 webpage for some examples of other Seville conversions.

The purpose of this website is to identify all the Milans out there and to provide reliable information about the Milans. Please send all your pictures, descriptions, and details of Milans you own or know of as well as your comments, corrections and questions to me at: milanroadster@hotmail.comIf any information displayed violates your privacy, let me know and it will be removed. (Or see below for email form)

Sevilles converted by other companies or other models converted by Milan Coach Builders Inc, Milan Convertible Co, and Milan Custom Coach (such as Eldorados, Mustangs, and pickup trucks) are not the focus of this site. We are all 1976-1979 Seville Milan Roadster, all the time.

Mr. Milan Daniel, who made the Milan a reality, this web site is dedicated to you.

My web name is Tommy Milan and this web site is for all owners and aficionados of the 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville Milan Roadster. The picture to the left is my 1979 Milan purchased on May 6, 2010 in Panama City, Florida. The previous 2 owners had the car in California and Oregon before driving it to Florida. The car is now in the Orlando area. The Seville Owners Manual that came with the car has a sticker showing "#485", which I assume means that this is the 485th of 509? Milan Roadsters built by Milan in Simi Valley, CA. The car has the original white Haartz vinyl top and red boot and appears to be in original condition with about 48,000 miles. This car is an example of a Milan Coach Builders conversion built for a Cadillac dealer as this car has the "Milan" emblems on the front fenders and a "Personalized by Milan Coach Builders Inc" emblem in the each of the door sills. Though some Milan Coach Builders' conversions have the Milan installed custom-designed fiberglass hood and RR-style stainless steel grille, this car has the original Seville factory hood and grille. This car also has 500 pounds of concrete mentioned above to improve weight distribition and handling. This car is currently being redone in white like the Milan at the top of the page, to include the shown original Seville factory wire wheels.

Any information about Milans that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated, to include Milan pictures, descriptions, VINS, corrections to this web site, Milan related literature, publications, and advertisements (to include any links to anything Milan).

I can be reached at milanroadster@hotmail.com. (See email form below)Websites (besides ebay and Craigslist) that carry NOS and used 1976-1979 Cadillac Seville parts are at the top of the 76-79 Seville webpage.

More later,tommy milan March 2011

Milan Fender Emblems

Only Sevilles converted to Milan Roadsters in Simi Valley, CA have these Milan fender emblems. The original Milan emblems were gold. Some tarnished Milan emblems look black. Seville conversions done in New York, Mexico, or using a Milan conversion kit never had the "Milan" emblems. If the fenders have "Seville" emblems, it means that the car is a conversion that was NOT done by Milan in Simi Valley. Some repainted convertibles have no emblems. Also note that some owners may have removed the "Milan" emblems for safekeeping (as they are not replaceable) and these cars would either have Seville or no emblems.

Seville Cadillac Factory Fender Emblems

All 1976-1979 Sevilles have these fender emblems except Sevilles converted into Milan Roadster Convertibles in Simi Valley, CA. Some repainted cars have no emblems on the fenders.

Milan Convertibles, Inc. Trunk Emblem

Owners who sent their 4-door 76-79 Sevilles to New York for conversion have this emblem attached to the left side of the trunk. Most of these Milan Convertibles, Inc trunk emblems appear to have fallen off or removed over the years, as I know of only two conversions with this trunk emblem.

MILAN FIBERGLASS REAR INSERT (IN BACK OF SEATS)

Simi Valley, New York, and Mexico conversions have this fiberglass insert. The insert was optional on Milan Convertible Co conversion kits. The inserts came in various colors to complement the interior color. Two ten inch radio speakers are mounted inside the inserts behind the left and right seats for stereo sound. Simi Valley conversions done in late 1979 also have 500 pounds of poured concrete under the inserts in channels where the rear doors would have been to improve handling and weight distribution. Conversions done without a Milan supplied kit never have these fiberglass inserts.

All other conversions, to include owner provided Seville conversions in Simi Valley, New York, Mexico, and those Sevilles converted by others using a Milan Convertible Co kit have the standard Cadillac factory door sill emblems (See below center and right).

All 1976-1979 four door Sevilles also have these same Fisher Body door sill emblems shown below and right.

JULY 2010 email from Mr. Milan Daniel (Who built & named the Milan Roadster)

Mr. Milan Daniel

I will do my best to answer some of your questions. It has been a long time since I have been in the business and it is hard for me to remember exact numbers.

Number of Milans' produced at your Simi Valley facility?I believe it was about 100 - 125 per year.

Do you have any records of the cars you converted, for example by VIN number and completion date?No. Those records no longer exist.

How many kits were sold by Milan Convertible Co.? I actually have no recollection or records available to answer this question.

What is the difference between a Milan built in Simi Valley and a "kit" Milan built somewhere else? The Milan roadsters built in Simi Valley were [Milan] factory built cars. The kit cars were built elsewhere by individuals or body shops, etc. who bought them as a kit and either [re]sold them as [a kit] or built them from the kit and sold them.

What do you consider a "real" Milan?The real Milan are the cars that were built by us in Simi Valley and had the Milan gold emblem on the side of the car; the grills were metal grills, chrome plated. All cars were color coordinated to match interiors.

Did American Classic in Mexico use your Milan kits to make their Seville roadster?Yes. We set up the facility in Mexico and supplied them with kits, parts and jigs to build the Milan Roadster.

I am working on building my own website which would include more insight into my background and how I began building the Milan Roadster, along with other vehicles, kit cars, and convertible kits that I designed and sold. Thank you very much for your interest and support. Sincerely, Milan